


Things I Want to Say...

by grovestep



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Flirting, First Kiss, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21906652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grovestep/pseuds/grovestep
Summary: ...vs. what comes out of my mouth.In which Gabe has perfect flirting skills, except when it comes to Jack Morrison.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 5
Kudos: 80
Collections: Reaper76 Free For All Secret Santa 2019





	Things I Want to Say...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zavijah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zavijah/gifts).



> Written as a part of the R76 Secret Santa 2019! This was super fun to write and I hope my giftee loves it as much as I do.

“So, you come here often?”

Gabe leaned back against the countertop. He put on his best charming grin. Jack sat on a stool beside him reading the newspaper. He looked at Gabe over the rim of his reading glasses and quirked his eyebrows. 

“Yes...this is the HQ commissary. We all do. Every day,” Jack said with reluctance. 

Gabe fought the urge to facepalm. His charming grin fell into a frown. Somewhere off to his left, Ana chuckled. When they were off-base, roaming bars around the world, his flirting was as smooth as butter. He could charm men and women alike with a sultry look and a pick-up line.

But not Jack fuckin’ Morrison. 

Any time Gabe came within Jack’s vicinity, it was like his brain short circuited. All of his witty one-liners and silky compliments flew out the window, down and hill, and into a trash compactor. What came out was pure cheese; pick-up lines that couldn’t charm a horse. It felt like he was trapped in a terrible romantic comedy, except he was the comic relief watching the main character get the girl. 

Gabe’s shoulders slumped and he turned away from Jack to sit at Ana’s table. She watched him over the rim of her teacup with a shit-eating grin. 

“Don’t say a word,” he warned and leaned back in his chair. He pointedly kept his eyes off Jack, who had returned to his morning paper like nothing had happened. 

“Are you sure?” Ana asked. She took a deep sip from her tea before continuing, giving Gabe time to object. When he didn’t say anything, she continued, “I’m just saying. You’re like a bull in a china cabinet around Jack.”

Gabe grimaced and hung his head in his hands. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Jack is very literal person, Gabriel,” Ana said as she put down her teacup. “Perhaps try a different approach.”

Gabe scrubbed a hand over his face and looked to the side. Jack was unconsciously jiggling his leg as he read the newspaper. Every so often he would adjust his reading classes, lick his lips, and flip the page. It made Gabe’s heart throb. He wanted nothing more than to sweep the blond dork off his feet and kiss him. But it would be...weird. Overstepping a boundary. He didn’t want to rush it; the flirting and courting was part of the fun. If only he could stop his brain from turning into mush whenever he was in a ten foot radius of Jack. It was like the man had some Gabriel-scrambling-forcefield. 

“The awards summit is this week. Try asking him if he’d like to go to dinner after. You know Jackie can pack away a meal,” Ana said as she gathered her dirty cup to take to the sink. As she walked away, she looked over her shoulder. “Bull in a china shop, Gabriel.” 

Jack looked up from his newspaper and over at Gabe. He chuckled and cocked his head to the side. “What was that about?”

Gabe felt his heart jump into his throat, but he managed to wrestle it back down. “Nothin’ to worry about, Jackie,” he said. 

— 

Gabriel Reyes had been through elite super soldier training. He had fought in war, destroyed innumerable omnics, and combated a notorious terrorist cell. Nothing made him falter, flinch, or be taken by surprise. 

Except for the sight of Jack Morrison in his new, perfectly tailored dress blues. 

Gabe had prepared his lines for tonight days in advance, at the advice of Ana. He sat on the edge of Jack’s bed in his own full dress uniform. Jack fussed around in the bathroom. Gabe could hear him muttering about his hair. He fell back against the bed, careful not to wrinkle his jacket, and fought the urge to doze off. Jack was notorious for taking eons in the bathroom, and tonight was no different. 

Gabe was roused by the sound of the bathroom door clicking open. He looked at his watch. A full fifteen minutes early, a Jack Morrison record. He leaned up on his elbows. His jaw dropped and his stomach did a flip. 

“Well, how do they look?” Jack asked. He straightened the lapels of his jacket and turned around for Gabe to see the whole outfit. 

Everything Gabriel has prepared flew out the window. He practically felt his brain melt to mush and slip out his ears. Jack looked like a model out of a military magazine. The shirt and jacket showed off his toned chest and trim waist. The slacks were tailored perfectly and cupped his butt _just right_ that it made Gabe’s mouth go dry. He floundered for words, unable to keep his eyes from roaming all over every inch of Jack. 

“Well?” Jack asked with a laugh. 

Gabe said the first thing that came to mind. 

“They’d look better on the floor.”

Jack’s lips fell into a pout. He looked at himself in the mirror. “Are they that bad?”

Gabe’s mind flew into a series of question marks. Then he remembered. 

Right. Literal. Very, very literal.

“No, Jackie,” Gabe said. He stood up and went over to Jack. They stood side by side looking in the mirror. Jack’s brow was knitted with worry. “You look amazing.” Gabe wanted to say more. So much more. Like how Jack lit up the room. How Gabriel wouldn’t have made it through the SEP without him. How great his ass looked in those pants. How he wanted nothing more than to kiss the slight look of worry off Jack’s handsome face and show him just how stunning Gabriel thought he looked. 

But it was like there was a language barrier. Gabriel spoke in his suave, charming language and it got lost in translation, coming out as nonsensical words and phrases. He stared in the mirror and noticed Jack’s tie was crooked. He stifled a chuckle and turned to where they were facing one another. He adjusted the tie with deft fingers. He didn’t notice how Jack’s breath hitched in his chest at their proximity. It felt natural to Gabe; they’d always been close on a physical level. Wrestling in the SEP, crowded together in a foxhole on the battlefield, curled onto one bunk in a shitty barracks in the middle of nowhere. He wished verbalizing his feelings were as easy as physical affection. Of course, Jack probably interpreted it as it always had been; just brothers in arms. 

“Thank you, Gabe,” Jack said. “Can you imagine me walking out with a crooked tie to accept an award?” 

“Yes,” Gabe said with a chuckle as he finished adjusting the tie. He noticed Jack was wearing a new cologne. His fingers brushed against the skin of Jack’s neck before he pulled away. Jack’s cheeks were a deep red, but Gabe wrote it off as the heat of the suit and the mugginess of the room. “If I remember, your tie was crooked and tied wrong at the SEP graduation.” 

Jack nudged Gabe with his shoulder and laughed. “We don’t talk about that.” 

“Hey, I just saved your ass from another incident,” Gabe said with a grin. He crossed his arms. “I think I deserve a little thanks.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I think you need to come to dinner with me tonight.”

It was the first smooth thing he’d managed to say. He crossed his fingers and hoped Jack would get the message. 

Jack visibly perked up at the sound of food. He grinned. “Where to?” 

“I was thinking Donovan’s. That greasy spoon diner on the other side of town.”

Jack nodded with enthusiasm. “In our uniforms?”

“Why not?” Gabe said with a shrug. “You’ll just have to be extra careful not to stain your new suit.”

Jack wrapped his arm around Gabe’s shoulders as they walked out of his room. “You got yourself a deal.”

—

Gabe lost Jack in the overwhelming crowd of people that surged around them after the ceremony. Gabe managed to slink away into the shadows before he could be bombarded by congratulations from old, white men he didn’t know the names of. Jack wasn’t so lucky. Gabe saw the top of his blond head being whisked away by a crowd of diplomats. He pulled out his phone and shot Jack at text.

_Meet you at Donovan’s. Don’t die._

A few minutes later, Gabe’s phone dinged with a response. It was a blurry picture of Jack giving a thumbs up. Gabe smiles and tucked his phone away. He loosened his tie and started the walk to the diner. 

When he arrived, he took a seat at a booth and waited. It took an hour for Jack to send a message that he was leaving. Gabe put in an order of fries and swiped up on his phone to read the message.

_On our way :)_

Gabe’s eyebrow quirked. Our? Was Jack referring to himself with the royal “we” now? His stomach sank at the other implication. He tried to stave off the thought as the waitress brought out a plate of fries. He shoved one in his mouth and looked up just as Jack walked into the diner, followed by Lena, Jesse, and Ana. Gabe groaned. 

Jack grinned when he spotted Gabe. “Grandma and the kids were hungry,” he said. 

“I take offense to that,” Ana said and crossed her arms. She slid into the empty booth across the table, and Lena and Jesse piled in beside her. 

“I gotta run to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” Jack said.

Gabe kicked Ana’s leg under the table and shot her a glare. “Grandma was _hungry_ , huh?” he said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, Gabbi. I’m sorry, Jack made it seem like you invited all of us. What did I say about him being literal?” Ana said. 

“Literal but not _dense._ I swear I was as frank as I could be.” Gabe threw up his hands in exasperation. 

“Did you say it was a date?” Ana asked and steepled her fingers as she leaned forward on her elbows. 

“Well...no. But it was implied.”

Ana shook her head. “Implications won’t work here, Gabbi.”

“Aw, I’m real sorry, boss,” Jesse said, but his voice was filled with mischief. “If I woulda known, I wouldn’t’a come.”

“I ought to give you fifty laps at training tomorrow,” Gabe said with a scowl.

“Watsh goin’ on?” Lena asked through a mouthful of fries. 

Jesse leaned towards Lena. “Gabe has the hots for Jack, but ain’t got the mind ta’ say it,” he said in a mock-whisper.

“What’s this about me?” Jack asked as he took a seat by Gabe. He wiped a still-damp hand on Gabe’s face and laughed. Lena watched with wide eyes at her revelation.

“God, Morrison, that better not be pee,” Gabe said and shouldered Jack aside. 

“Boys, we are at the dinner table,” Ana warned. 

“Yes, grandma,” Jack and Gabe said in unison. Ana rolled her eyes and Jesse bit the back of his fist in an attempt to not laugh. 

They fell into their usual banter as they looked over the menus and ordered. Gabe shot Ana looks over his menu as Jack leaned against him in the booth, their thighs occasionally brushing, Jack’s hand ghosting over his leg, or across his shoulders. He seemed to be in Gabe’s personal space more than usual. It made his heart race in his chest and his mind turn to the usual jelly. 

After they finished their food (with minimal personal space invasion, sans Jack stealing a bite of Gabe’s burger, and Gabe doing the same in return), Ana looked at her phone. Gabe recognized   
fake surprise when he saw it, but it was lost on Jack. 

“Oh gosh, it looks like Reinhardt’s car broke down and they need a ride. Kids, do you mind coming with me? Maybe you can help get the car started,” Ana said. 

“Yes’m,” Jesse said, picking up on her idea. Lena looked like she was about to protest, but Jesse elbowed her in the side. “I’m quite handy with vehicles, an’ Lena here can be my moral support.”

“Do you need our help, Ana?” Jack asked, already getting out of the booth. 

“Oh, no, honey. It’s fine, I’m sure we three can handle it. You’ve had a long night with those diplomats. You and Gabriel can relax for the rest of the night,” she said and she shooed Jesse and   
Lena out of the booth. Ana winked at Gabe.

“Y’know, Jesse. Having this chronal accelerator makes me a little handy at machinery, too. I’m not just moral support,” Lena said. 

“Oh, I know, Lena. I’m just gettin’ on yer case,” Jesse said. It was the last thing Gabe and Jack heard before the trip left the diner. 

They sat in silence for a moment before Jack moved to sit across from Gabe. Gabe found himself missing the warmth of Jack beside him immediately. Gabe grabbed his arm before he could make it out of the booth. Wordlessly, he pulled him back to sit. Jack said nothing, just nestled back beside Gabe, their thighs brushing.

“I feel like I messed up tonight,” Jack said.

“Why’s that? Your tie was straight and everything,” Gabe said. 

“Not at the awards summit,” Jack said with a sigh. He bit his lip and looked at Gabe out of the corner of his eye. “I mean. Between us.”

Gabe felt his breath catch in his throat. He didn’t say anything, just shifted in his seat. 

“I did, didn’t I? Did I...did I misinterpret what you meant by dinner?” Jack asked. He turned to face Gabe as fully as the booth would allow.

“Maybe a little,” Gabe said, his eyes everywhere except for on Jack. 

“I’m a fucking idiot,” Jack groaned and closed his eyes.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Gabe said. “More like...very literal.”

“So...what was this supposed to be?” Jack asked, his eyes still closed. 

“A date,” Gabe said. “If you wanted it to be,” he added reluctantly. 

Jack’s eyes snapped open. He looked at Gabriel with wide eyes. Gabe could see the mental cogs turning as everything clicked into place for Jack. The attempts at flirting, the touches, the lingering looks. Jack’s heart skipped a beat. “Really?”

“Yes, Jackie, really,” Gabe said. “Jack, I’ve been trying to flirt with you for weeks now. Every time I’m around you it’s like my heart does the tango, but my tongue is passed out drunk in a gutter. I can never say the right thing to get you to understand.”

“Understand what?” Jack asked breathlessly. 

“That you mean everything to me, Jack Morrison. More than just a brother in arms. I’ve had eyes for you since the fuckin’ SEP. No matter how many people I slept with or dated along the way, my heart always goes back to you. I thought you thought of me as a friend only,” Gabe said, all of his feelings tumbling out at once. For once in his damn life, he could say what he wanted to say to Jack Morrison.

“Is your tongue drunk in a gutter right now?” Jack asked. 

“I guess not,” Gabe said. 

“Good, because I’ve wanted to do this for years,” Jack said. He pulled Gabe in by the lapels, their lips meeting in a fiery kiss. Gabe gasped into Jack’s mouth, his hand going up to cup Jack’s cheek. He silently thanked god for the empty diner. 

When they pulled away, Jack leaned his forehead against Gabe’s. Their noses brushed together and they both breathed heavily. Jack grinned. 

“I guess actions speak louder than words, huh?” 

Gabe kicked him under the table.


End file.
